There might not be a more important BYU football preseason training camp scrimmage in recent memory than the one that will take place behind closed doors at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday.
That might be a bit hyperbolic, but the reality is that the Cougars’ three-way quarterback derby to be the starter on Aug. 30 against Portland State is still razor-close, and coaches are eager to, if nothing else, eliminate at least one player from the competition.
The candidates, of course, are 18-year-old freshman Bear Bachmeier and two guys with considerably more college football experience, but maybe in possession of less talent than the Stanford transfer, redshirt junior Treyson Bourguet and redshirt sophomore McCae Hillstead.
“Saturday is big, absolutely,” said offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick during Wednesday’s Photo Day at the Indoor Practice Facility on campus. “I wouldn’t call it huge, yet, because I think every practice right now (is significant). We are just growing the body of work.
“But there is something about playing 11-on-11 in that stadium that reveals things about (quarterbacks),” he continued. “You sometimes find out a lot about players at all positions. Some guys step up and play really well, and other guys maybe show that they are not ready to play for us yet.”
After the first and third practices of camp last week, Sitake and Roderick both said they would like to name a starter sooner than later, but will refuse to rush it before every quarterback has a chance to show what he can do in a variety of situations and with a variety of first- and second-teamers.
Has there been any separation?
“It is too soon to say. I think we are going to start getting to that point pretty soon where we are going to start seeing some separation,” Roderick said. “I truly want there to be enough snaps for each guy to where anyone on the team could say, ‘Hey, that guy has played the best so far.’ That is what I am hoping for, that we get to that point.”
In the three media-viewing sessions to date — the first, third and sixth practices — a different quarterback has seemingly played the best. The most consistent has probably been Hillstead, from this writers point of view. As a side note, the fourth quarterback in the room is freshman Emerson Geilman, from Bountiful High, who plans to leave on a mission after the season but has shown he will be a force in the room when he returns.
Roderick said they can’t afford to have any of the QBs go “live” on Saturday — which means they will all wear green jerseys and are off-limits to contact — because of the low numbers. A fifth QB, perhaps former Corner Canyon star Cole Hagen, could join the group when school starts.
“I have done some of that in the past, especially if running ability is part of their game,” Roderick said. “But we just can’t take that chance this year. So we won’t go live.”
“We will be as physical as we can, but we have to keep the quarterbacks upright.”
— BYU football coach Kalani Sitake
In the past, Zach Wilson, Jaren Hall and Jake Retzlaff were able to show off that running ability a little bit when the Cougars went live. Roderick and Sitake have said all three of the candidates have some running ability, particularly Hillstead. The former track star at Skyridge High is easily faster than the other two.
“We will be as physical as we can, but we have to keep the quarterbacks upright,” Sitake said.
He said almost every one else will participate and go live, including offensive stars such as receiver Chase Roberts and running back LJ Martin. One projected starter, Oklahoma State transfer defensive lineman Justin Kirkland, has been out with a minor knee injury and won’t play Saturday.
Kirkland said Wednesday that he probably won’t be available to play in the opener, that the injury “is not serious” but requires rest.
“I don’t think the first time that they tackle, or get tackled, in a game is good for us,” Sitake said, explaining why the stars will see contact. “That’s just my personal view. Jay Hill and Aaron Roderick, they feel the same way. Those guys will get opportunities to make tackles and get tackled, even if they have started here. … I don’t want the first time for them to go live to be against Portland State. That is not going to be good for us.”
Sitake didn’t divulge how the first-team reps will be divided up among the QBs on Saturday, talking instead about how he wants to use the pass rush to put some pressure on the quarterbacks, “and see how they respond to all of that.”
Sitake said besides looking for some quarterback separation, they will be doing a lot of special teams work, working on clock management and game operations, and have coaches in the press box to simulate a real game as much as possible.
“It is probably going to be the most physical scrimmage we have,” he said. “I imagine ones and twos will get a lot of live reps, and then also some of the threes.”
As for the quarterback situation, Roderick said that newly promoted assistant quarterbacks coach Matt Mitchell will also be heavily involved in the decision. Mitchell was an offensive analyst for BYU in 2020, then went to Baylor in 2021. He was lured back to BYU in 2022 as an offensive analyst again and then promoted earlier this year to his current position, which was newly created for him.
After Tuesday’s practice in which media members watched the final 25 minutes or so, Sitake was asked if a quarterback had separated himself through six practices.
“No, but they are all playing at a high level, all of them, and so that’s a that’s a good sign,” he said. “It makes it more difficult. We ask them to make it difficult for us, and so they’re doing that. … for the most part they are making great decisions and then really difficult throws.”
Also Tuesday, Roberts said he wouldn’t want to be the person who has to make the decision.
“They’re all making plays and they’ve shown that they can run, they can scramble, and that they can make every throw possible,” Roberts said. “We are very confident in each of them. And they’ve just taken a step forward every single practice. And I’m excited to see who pulls away.”
Coaches are hoping that comes Saturday. But they aren’t holding their breath.
